The Apple - Holy shit (literally). A musical allegory about two up and comers in the music industry who have to sign with a demonic agent to succeed. One doesn't, and they both their different ways, while the agent becomes ever more reaching in his abuse of power. That really doesn't cover half of what makes the film so amazing. It's poorly written, has some terrible songs, and maybe only one or two of the cast can actually act, but it's so damned silly, wrong-headed and downright charming in its naivety that it's also a constant delight. It's like Xanadu, only without the talent and the rollerskates.

This was the midnight show at a triple feature I attended sometime last year. It was a truly nutzo film that was bursting at the seems with camp. Also, a couple of those songs got stuck in my head, however terrible they may have been. Crazy stuff.

A good movie, but not a great one. When it's good it's very good and it had a very strong first and final act, but I feel that while it doesn't waste the long run time, I do find some parts of the story less compelling than others, though it effectively make the revolution turn from something that seem like a blow against injustice into an even worse injustice (I hate when that happens!) Nice that the holidays finally gave me time to watch an epic I've never gotten around too. Still, maybe next time it'll be Lawrence of Arabia.

Okay so the bad, oh so bad: Javert & Cosette, the former due to not having the right sort of voice for this kind of thing, the latter for not really having a voice at all.

The good: Jean Valjean, Fantine, Marius, the girls at the factory, the lads and lasses of the barricade.

The awesome: Every active member of the Thénardier family; M., Mme., Éponine & Gavroche are all excellent and they include a cutaway that acknowledges the relationship between E & G which the musical fails to reflect (and it's an odd excision, it's a little important in the book). Éponine was lovely, not sure why she'd lose out to Cosette really (but then I've never really understood that based on the musical)

Generally interesting and probably a must see if you like the show, if not, or you just like the book it might be more of a rental. It's possessed of a lot of good parts but it's weak in a couple of vital places It probably should get technicals for aesthetic categories (especially Makeup and Costume).

Okay so the bad, oh so bad: Javert & Cosette, the former due to not having the right sort of voice for this kind of thing, the latter for not really having a voice at all.

The good: Jean Valjean, Fantine, Marius, the girls at the factory, the lads and lasses of the barricade.

The awesome: Every active member of the Thénardier family; M., Mme., Éponine & Gavroche are all excellent and they include a cutaway that acknowledges the relationship between E & G which the musical fails to reflect (and it's an odd excision, it's a little important in the book). Éponine was lovely, not sure why she'd lose out to Cosette really (but then I've never really understood that based on the musical)

Generally interesting and probably a must see if you like the show, if not, or you just like the book it might be more of a rental. It's possessed of a lot of good parts but it's weak in a couple of vital places It probably should get technicals for aescetic categories (especially Makeup and Costume).

What if you absolutely adore the stage musical? My mum's a huge fan, and she's planning a special day out with my sister to see it.

I do think that the people who'll get the most out of this are the people who are familiar with the stage version (and then people familiar with the book as the film restores some minor things from the source text that are left out of the stage version). That's a bit of a two-edged sword though, but I think the good outweighs the bad ultimately.

Okay so the bad, oh so bad: Javert & Cosette, the former due to not having the right sort of voice for this kind of thing, the latter for not really having a voice at all.

The good: Jean Valjean, Fantine, Marius, the girls at the factory, the lads and lasses of the barricade.

The awesome: Every active member of the Thénardier family; M., Mme., Éponine & Gavroche are all excellent and they include a cutaway that acknowledges the relationship between E & G which the musical fails to reflect (and it's an odd excision, it's a little important in the book). Éponine was lovely, not sure why she'd lose out to Cosette really (but then I've never really understood that based on the musical)

Generally interesting and probably a must see if you like the show, if not, or you just like the book it might be more of a rental. It's possessed of a lot of good parts but it's weak in a couple of vital places It probably should get technicals for aesthetic categories (especially Makeup and Costume).

Éponine was...dare I say it...totally friend-zoned. I've always liked her character more than Cosette.

Never saw this one before. Basically knew all the beats, but nonetheless, great movie. Jimmy Stewart is great and loveable, but some of his best films are the ones where he takes those characters in a darker direction. This isn't exactly vertigo, but it's interesting to see a film about a guy who goes nuts after putting aside his own wants for years and the resentment suddenly bubbles to the surface after one bad day.

Okay so the bad, oh so bad: Javert & Cosette, the former due to not having the right sort of voice for this kind of thing, the latter for not really having a voice at all.

The good: Jean Valjean, Fantine, Marius, the girls at the factory, the lads and lasses of the barricade.

The awesome: Every active member of the Thénardier family; M., Mme., Éponine & Gavroche are all excellent and they include a cutaway that acknowledges the relationship between E & G which the musical fails to reflect (and it's an odd excision, it's a little important in the book). Éponine was lovely, not sure why she'd lose out to Cosette really (but then I've never really understood that based on the musical)

Generally interesting and probably a must see if you like the show, if not, or you just like the book it might be more of a rental. It's possessed of a lot of good parts but it's weak in a couple of vital places It probably should get technicals for aescetic categories (especially Makeup and Costume).

What if you absolutely adore the stage musical? My mum's a huge fan, and she's planning a special day out with my sister to see it.

It really depends on what she's a fan of in the musical. Is it the characters and the story she loves? If so then it's highly recommended. Is she more a fan of it being expertly sung? She might have some problems. The movie favored acting over singing, if that makes sense. Several songs sounded very different to me because the actors were more focused on bringing out the emotion of the moment than hitting the big notes. For me it works, and I loved those moments, but I can see how some theater enthusiasts will have some trouble with it.

Last week, I actually was convinced to go see Breaking Dawn Part 2 by my wife. It was her birthday and she was convinced it would be empty enough if we went early to riff it without bothering anyone.

She was right, and holy crap was that fun. For one thing, this is by far the most entertaining of the movies, they saved all the crazy they'd been repressing for this one. We saw it at Studio Movie Grill, one of the many theaters with restaurant service they have in the area. Right near the finale there was a moment that set off the few people in the theater laughing hysterically, including the waitress who could barely talk as she gave us our check.

Just watched the Ultimate Cut of Watchmen. I don't know why that movie was panned so heavily. Brilliant performances all around and great set designs, all used to tell a compelling story. It was nice to see the news stand scenes restored and I found that the Black Freighter scenes helped divide the movie nicely into its chapters, which made certain themes come out a bit more clearly.

I'm not a big fan of the movie. There's a lot it does right, and there's quite a bit it does wrong. Very wrong. I'm not a Snyder hater (though not a fan, neither) but I get the feeling that while he worked his ass off to get it true to the spirit for the book and fought hard for it, I think he's missing a certain amount of critical eye to get the points of certain elements. The funny thing is, the best part of the movie is the opening sequence which, while incorporating elements of the back-up features, is probably the most original element. One observation I heard was that perhaps that meant that there should have been divergences from the book, at least in the sense of being more creatively fulfilling rather than being a cinematic replica (though I will say at least Snyder admitted he basically viewed it as an ad for the book. Whether that's good or bad is up for debate). I don't think there ever could have been a version that would completely work, but I think it was a valiant, but only partially successful effort.

The 2 things that still get under my skin about that movie: the action scenes are way too action movie-esque. I always viewed Silk Spectre and Nite Owl as competent, experienced fighters, not practically super-human (that's more of an Ozymandius thing), which doesn't gel with the reality of the source material and the other major problem is